Intersection traffic director device

ABSTRACT

A portable revolving traffic signal device employing telescoping, retractable arms driven through 45 degree movement by a bevel gear drive to provide normal intersection traffic control as well as sequentially controlling lights on the arms for left turn only control. The arms are retractable via separately driven jackscrews controlling telescoping sections and can be folded and held in place on a pedestal of the traffic device.

limited @tates Patet [191 Lilly 1 INTERSECTION TRAFFIC DIRECTOR DEVICEInventor: Glenford Lilly, 1728 W. Argon St..

Mesa, Ariz. 85201 Filed: Nov. 13, 1972 Appl. No.: 305,860

[52] US. Cl. 340/41 A, 340/45, 340/120 [51] Int. Cl G08g 1/095 [58]Field of Search 340/22, 41 R, 41 A, 42, 340/43, 45, 51, 84 R, 114 B,120, 121, 122, 123,127, 128, 129,130, 131; ll6/63 R References CitedUNITED STATES PATENTS 4/1959 Worsham 340/43 3/1929 Edwards 116/63 R7/1926 Martin t 116/63 R 6/1925 Kayser .v 116/63 R [4 1 Mar. 19, 19741.475.024 11/1923 Morgan 116/63 R 1,462,266 7/1923 Degner 340/43 FOREIGNPATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 324.221 l/1930 Great Britain 340/130 PrimaryExaminer-Kathleen H. Claffy Assistant Examiner-Randall P. MyersAttorney, Agent, or FirmWarren F. B. Lindsley ABSTRACT A portablerevolving traffic signal device employing telescoping, retractable armsdriven through 45 degree movement by a bevel gear drive to providenormal intersection traffic control as well as sequentially controllinglights on the arms for left turn only control. The arms are retractablevia separately driven jackscrews controlling telescoping sections andcan be folded and held in place on a pedestal of the traffic device.

9 Claims, 15 Drawing Figures PATENTED MAR l 9 $974 SHEET 2 [IF 4INTERSECTION TRAFFIC DIRECTOR DEVICE FIELD OF THE INVENTION DESCRIPTIONOF THE PRIOR ART The commonly used electric traffic signal lights directtraffic flow by colored lights which signal Stop, Go or Use Caution."These lights are adequate during normal traffic conditions, but may notbe adequate during rush hours or under certain emergency conditions.Also in many cases for reasons of economy or traffic flow duringnon-rush hour times, not all intersections have permanently installedtraffic signal lights. Policemen generally are used to replace orsupplement the traffic light during rush hours and to provideintersection control at those intersections which do not have a trafficsignal light. Often a shortage of policemen and the extra cost involvedprohibit their use in many areas where extra control of traffic isneeded.

Further, other prior art traffic control devices such as applicantscopending application, Ser. No. 254,562, filed on May 18, 1972, now US.Pat. No. 3,757,291, issued on Sept. 4, 1973, are more suited for adowntown area where elaborate and therefore expensive devices are neededbecause of the excessive amount of traffic. Applicant's copendingapplication discloses an intricate traffic control device that includespermanently extended arms along with a drive means rotating the entiretower of the device. The present invention provides a traffic controldevice which contains a minimum of operating equipment and which iseasily retractable for placement into and removal from theintersections, all provided at a minimum of cost.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is a compact, portabletraffic control device which provides a pedestal having retractablecasters with a platform rotatable in relation to the pedestal. The topsection includes a beacon and telescoping, lighted arms pivoted to thetop section for folding the arms into holding means on the pedestal whenthe arms are in a retracted position. The top section includes means forcooperating with the pivot point of the arms and a holding means on thearms themselves to hold the arms in an extended position when in theready position. Separate drive means are located in each arm totelescope the arms to the traffic control position and to retract thearms before placement into the rest position. Timing controls areincluded to selectively rotate the arms through 45 degree movements, tosequentially actuate the lights in the arms, and to extend and retractthe arms as needed for traffic control. The device can be operatedeither from a remote location such as a nearby traffic signal or by useof the controls internal to the device.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide anenhanced traffic signalling device.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a supplementarytraffic signalling device which is synchronized to control intersectiontraffic.

A still further object is to provide a supplementary traffic signallingdevice which can be easily placed into position and removed.

Yet a further object is to provide a traffic signalling device which hasretractable, telescoping arms to control and direct traffic.

A still further object is to provide a traffic signalling device whichis low in cost while providing rotating, retractable, telescoping arms,rotatable through a fortyfive degree movement to aid in controllingtraffic flow.

The foregoing and other objects are achieved in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention by a traffic signalling device whichemploys individually telescoping retractable arms to control traffic atan intersection through 45 degree rotation of the arms. A separatelycontrolled driving means through bevel gears rotates the arms throughthe 45 degree movements. Retractable casters are located in the pedestalof the device for ease of transportation to and from the installation todirect traffic and for quick removal when desired. A second embodimentprovides for folding the telescoping arms into the rotating top portionof the traffic control device and telescoping legs extending from thebase. The casters in the telescoping legs can be pivoted to retract thecaster with a fold-away actuating handle for the caster suchthat theretraction of the telescoping legs completely covers the caster.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent from the following description when taken in connection withthe accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING The present invention may be morereadily described by reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a three-quarter view of one embodiment of the trafficsignalling device according to the present invention showing one armraised and one arm in the retracted position;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines 22 of FIG. 1 andshows the details of the driving means;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along lines 33 of FIG. 1 and shows thepivoting of the arm along with the bevel drive gear of the top section;

FIG. 4 is another sectional view of the device of FIG. 1 taken alonglines 3-3 and shows the placement of the holding means of the arm intothe top rotating section;

FIG. 5 is another sectional view of the device of FIG. 1 taken alonglines 33 and shows the arm in its extended and clamped position readyfor further operation;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing details of the retractable caster;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines 77 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a simplified schematic of the circuitry for operationalconnection of the device to a traffic signal;

FIGS. 9a, 9b, 9c and 9d illustrate the sequence of the operation of thepresent invention;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines 1111 of FIG. and

FIG. 12 is a side view, partially cut away, of a tele scoping leg of theembodiment shown in FIG. 1!).

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The traffic director deviceshown in FIGS. 1 and 2 comprises a pedestal type signal tower 10including a housing 12 supporting a rotatable platform 14 journalled bya bearing 16 to a column 18 extending above the housing 12. A beaconlight 20 is mounted on the top of the column 18. The beacon light 20 maybe either red or yellow depending upon the type of light desired.Supported on the rotatable platform 14L is a pair of diametricallyopposed telescoping arms 22 pivotably mounted to the platform. Thetelescoping arms 22 are supported in the extended position by anL-shaped holding fixture 24 adapted to be inserted into a cutout 26 inthe top of the rotatable platform 14. The tower 10 of the deviceincludes a groove 28 extending around its circumference. This groove 28acts as a shear point in the event an automobile collides with thetraffic director device.

The right telescoping arm 22a is shown in FIG. 1 in an active, that is,a raised and extended position, and the left arm 22b is shown in the atrest" position in solid lines with the arm fully retracted and held intoplace on a base 30 of the pedestal by a spring clip 32. A similar clip32 is shown for holding the right arm 22a when the right arm is in theat rest position. The dotted lines of FIG. 1 shows the position of theleft arm 22b when in the active and extended position. A plurality ofred reflective-type blinker lamps 34 are mounted along the length of thetelescoping arms 22. The plurality of blinker lamps 34 are connected bywires (not shown) to cause the lights to either sequentially flash or tobe all lighted at the same time depending upon the position of the arms.

Referring now to FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, the pivoting and locking action ofthe arms 22 is shown in more detail. Each arm pivots around a pin 36fastened to a bracket 38 attached to the arm 22. Each bracket 38 fits between pin couplings 40 formed in the top platform 14. The pins 36 fitinto inverted U-shaped cutouts 42 formed in the pin couplings 40.

Referring to FIG. 3, as the arm 22 is raised upward the end of the armbeyond the pivot moves downward in the direction of the arrow, pivotingaround the outside and lower portion of the inverted U-cutout 42 in thepin coupling 40. Referring to FIG. 4, as the end of the arm 22 contactsthe platform 14 the pin 36 is positioned in the center of the invertedU. The L-shaped holding fixture 24 enters the cut-out 26 in the platform14 at this position of the arm. Referring next to FIG. 5, the pin 36 ispositioned in the innermost groove of the inverted U of the couplingcut-out 42 and the lower lip of the L-shaped holding fixture 24 preventsthe arm 22 from reverting to its at rest position. The entry of the pin36 into the innermost section of the U-shaped cutout 42 in the pincoupling 40 forces the arm in the direction of the arrow towards thecolumn 18 of the traffic director device. The arm is thus held in placein the active position through a positive clamping means.

Referring now to FIG. 2, the traffic director device includes drivemeans for rotating the platform 14 and the extended arms 22. The drivemeans includes a main bevel gear 44 with internally placed teeth forminga part of the platform 14. Mated therewith is a driving bevel gear 46driven by an electrical motor 48 via a gear box 50. The electrical motor48 may be of a type commonly known as a stepping motor. A stepping motorhas controlled rotation ability and thus is capable of accuratelypositioning the arms at any degree in the 360 rotation by counting thenumber of revolutions needed by the motor to rotate the platform througha particular angle. The stepping motor is then pulsed this number oftimes to accomplish the degrees of rotation desired. In the presentapplication a 45 rotation is needed in each traffic cycle, as discussedwith the operation of the traffic director device in FIGS. 9a through9d. In any case, a controlled signal must be applied to the drive meansto accomplish the 45 rotation.

Still referring to FIG. 2, located internally to each of the two arms 22is ajackscrew 52 reversibly rotated by a drive motor 54. The internaltelescoping section 22c of the arms 22 includes threads 56 for matingwith the threads of the jackscrew 52. A stop limit 58 is included at theend of the jackscrew 52 to prevent overextension of the telescoping arm22c. By actuating the motors 54 to drive in one rotational direction,the telescoped portion of the arm 22 will be driven in an outwarddirection until the stop limit 58 is reached. Reversing the rotation ofthe motor 54 causes the telescoped portion to return to the retractedposition.

In order to roll the traffic director device from place to place and yetto permit the positive placement of the device in the center of anintersection, means such as the casters 60 shown in P10. 2 must beprovided to roll the device around and means such as shown in FIGS. 6and 7 must be provided to retract the caster. Referring now to FIGS. 2,6 and 7, the means for activating and deactivating the caster wheels 60include a handle 62 fastened to the locating pin 64 of the caster. Thecaster 60 via the locating pin 64 isjournaled to the base 30 of thepedestal. In the rollabout position as shown in FIG. 2, the handle 62 isheld in place by a clip 66 fastened to the top of the base 30. In orderto solidly place the traffic director device, the handles 62 are rotatedout of contact with the clip 66. The weight of the device will cause thecaster wheel 60 to retract into the base 30 eventually ending as shownin FIG. 7 with the handle located outside of the clip 66. To againactivate the wheels, the reverse steps are taken to push the handle 62in a downward direction while lifting the traffic director device andthe handle 62 is again rotated into contact with the clip 66.

Referring now to FIG. 8, a simplified schematic for activating thedevice is shown. In FIG. 8 a piug 68 is shown for connection to a nearbytraffic light for the intersection if the option is taken that thetraffic director device of the present invention is to be used in anintersection already containing a standard traffic signal. The timingmechanism of FIG. 8 is activated by each signal change in turn to causea rotation of the motor and thereby cause a 45 degree rotation of thearm. The activation of the timing mechanism to cause intermittant 45degree rotation of the arms via the electrical motor is well known inthe art. Still referring to FIG. 8, the beacon 20 is illuminated by anypower applied to the device. A switch 70 located on the base of thedevice activates the motors 54 driving the jackscrew 52. Rotation of themotors S4 in one direction causes the arms 22 to telescope into theirextended position, the extend direction. Activation of the motors 54 inthe reverse direction causes the arms 22 to retract.

The sequence of operation of the traffic director device is disclosed inFIGS. 9a, 9b, 9c and 9d. These figures show the position of the arm inrelation to the traffic flow and show the 45 of relative movement of thearms from one figure to the next. With the left turn traffic flow ofFIGS. 9a and 9c, the lights in the arms could be seuentially activatedto show the flow of traffic required to complete the left turn. Thus inFIG. 9a the traffic heading in an easterly direction and tending to makea left turn to head north could be directed by sequentially activatingthe lights 34 on the side facing this traffic flow from the southwestmost position of the arm, lighting each light 34 in turn along the armonto the next arm heading in a northeasterly direction until the lightin the end of the arm in the far northeasterly position is lit at whichtime the sequence is repeated. The lights on the arm facing the trafficheading in the west direction on FIG. 9a could be lighting sequentiallyin the opposite direction directing the flow of traffic onto the southbound lane of traffic.

To control the flow of traffic heading straight through, referring toFIG. 9b for an east-west direction of traffic flow, the lights 34 on thearms 22 could be a steady red and in an extended position to prevent anorth-south flow of traffic. Similarly the lights could be sequentiallyoperated in FIG. 90 to direct the left turn lane of traffic and kept asteady red opposing the eastwest direction of traffic in FIG. 9d. Thecontrol of the sequentially operated lights is well known in the art asevidenced by the operation of turn signals in a sequential manner onmany of the popular cars presently being built. It is therefore notbelieved to be necessary to show in detail a circuit for use to controlthe sequential operation of the lights.

In order to activate the traffic director device from the at restposition in storage for instance to the active position in the center ofan intersection, references is first made to FIG. 1. In the at restposition both arms 22 are retracted and held into place by the chips 32fastened to the top of the pedestal base 30. This position is the solidlines of the left arm 22b. The traffic director device is rolled out tothe center of the intersection while the arms 22 are at the at restposition to prevent damage to the arms. When the device is placed in thecenter of the intersection the casters 60 are raised to the uppermostposition out of contact with the ground by rotating the handles 62fastened to the caster pins 64. Once thus steadied, each telescoping arm22 is removed from the clips 32 in turn and locked into place aspreviously described in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5. Once both telescoping arms arein the extended position the jackscrew motors 54 internal to the armsare activated by the switch 70 to cause the telescoping arms 22 toextend to the outermost position. The traffic director device is thensequenced to operate in synchronism with the traffic light in theintersection or the internal timing device is activated to start theoperations. The internal operating device could be of the type describedin applicants aforementioned copending application, Ser. No. 254,562,now US. Pat. No. 3,757,291, issued on Sept. 4, 1973. Although a moresophisticated device is controlled by the copending application, it canbe easily adapted to control the present operations. The device is thenready to sequence through the operation shown in FIGS. 9a, 9b, 9c and9d.

FIGS. 10, 11 and 12 show an alternate design of the traffic directordevice according to the present invention. The second embodimentdiscloses a tower type device 72 having vertical recesses 74 for thestorage of the arms 22 while in a folded position. In this embodimentthe entire tower 72 rotates around the pedestal base 30 thereby insuringthat the arms 22 can be folded into the at rest position during anysequence of operation. The first embodiment requires a specific sequencebefore the arms 22 could be retracted to be held into the clips 32 inthe pedestal base 30 (see FIG. 1). The entire tower assembly can be ashell assembly mounted over the pedestal tower shown in FIG. 1. A beaconlight 20 is similarly mounted on the top of the traffic director device.

A telescoping leg 76 is shown extending from the pedestal base 30. Thetelescoping leg 76 is shown in a working position, having been manuallyextended through the use of a slot 78 in the end of each leg. A topposition of the extended leg 76 is shown in FIG. 11. A closeup view ofthe activation of the caster 80 in the telescoping leg 76 is shown inFIG. 12. In FIG. 12 the caster 80 is shown at rest in the solid lineposition and activated for rolling around in the dotted position. Thecasters 80 are pivoted to the telescoping portion of the leg. A handle82 is fastened to the caster 80 for the purpose of extending orretracting the caster. Thus, when the handle 82 is flush with thetelescoping portion, the caster 80 is in a retracted position. When thehandle 82 is in the raised position by the arrow in the dotted line, thecaster 80 is in the extended position for rolling the traffic directordevice to the required location. At least three telescoping legs 76 arenecessary for the rolling about of the device, see FIG. ll.

While the principles of the invention have now been made clear in theillustrative embodiment, there will be many obvious modifications of thestructure, proportions, materials and components without departing fromthese principles. For instance, a non-rotating beacon 20 is disclosed inthe present invention. It would be obvious to replace the non-rotatingbeacon 20 with a rotating light for better sightability. Also each arm22 includes one telescoping section. It would be likewise obvious toinclude several telescoping sections each driven by a telescopingjackscrew and prevented from extending beyond the confines of thejackscrew by a limit. Likewise limit switches could be located in thetelescoping arm to turn off the jackscrew motor when the limits of thearm whether extended or retracted is reached. Switches may also be usedto control the 45 rotation cycles of the traffic director device. Anactivation of a standard electric motor can include a cam actuating aswitch keeping power applied to the electric motor until a 45 rotationhas been accomplished. Reactivation of the drive motor causes the cam toagain close the switch to keep power applied to the motor until the next45 rotation is accomplished. The cam could be formed around thecircumference of the platform and includes a lobe every 45. The appendedclaims are therefore intended to cover these and other modificationsobvious to a person skilled in the art.

What I claim is:

1. A traffic director device for use with a source of electrical power,said device comprising:

a pedestal tower;

a rotatable platform journaled to said tower;

a pair of diametrically opposed telescoping arms pivotally connected tosaid rotatable platform;

first drive means coupled to said rotatable platform for rotationthereof;

second drive means within each of said telescoping arms for extendingand retracting said telescoping arms;

resilient means mounted to said pedestal tower for holding saidtelescoping arms when in a retracted pivotally folded position;

clamping means for holding said telescoping arms perpendicular to saidpedestal tower when in an extended position;

reflective means mounted along both sides of both telescoping arms forsignalling the location of the telescoping arms; and

control means for coordinating the rotation of said platform in order tocontrol traffic entering an intersection.

2. A traffic direction device as defined in claim 1 wherein saidreflective means includes:

a plurality of lamps mounted behind reflective lens and wherein saidcontrol means includes means for sequentially activating said pluralityof lampsv 3. A traffic direction device as defined in claim 1 whereinsaid second drive means includes:

a reversible electrical motor located within each telescoping arm;

means to connect said electrical motors to the source of electricalpower for actuation thereof;

a jackscrew connected to each of said electrical motors for rotationtherewith;

thread means fastened to the telescoping portion of each arm to matewith said jackscrew to extend and retract said telescoping arms; and

limit means for limiting the extension of said telescoping arms.

4. A traffic direction device as defined in claim 1 wherein said firstdrive means includes:

an electrical motor connected to said control means for actuationthereby;

a bevel gear having internally placed teeth and fastened to saidrotatable platform; and

a driving gear mating with said bevel gear and fastened to said motorfor rotation therewith;

and wherein said control means includes means for controlling theactuation of said electrical motor to cause said rotatable platform tomove in 45 increments.

5. A traffic direction device as defined in claim 1 wherein:

said pedestal tower includes retractable casters mounted in the pedestalfor ease of placing the traffic directing device into an intersection.

6. A traffic director device as defined in claim 1 wherein:

said resilient means includes spring clips mounted to the top of thepedestal of said pedestal tower.

7. A traffic director device as defined in claim 1 wherein said clampingmeans includes:

cutouts formed in the top of the rotatable platform adjacent to each ofsaid telescoping arms, and

an L-shaped holding fixture fastened to each of said telescoping arms;

each of the holding fixtures cooperating with one of said cutouts forholding said telescoping arm in said extended position.

8. A traffic director device as defined in claim I further including:

a shell for completely covering said pedestal tower, said shell havingrecesses formed therein adjacent to and covering the length of saidtelescoping arm when the arms are in said folded position.

9. A traffic director device as defined in claim 5 wherein saidretractabie casters include:

a plurality of telescoping sections with a caster pivotally mounted ineach section, and

a handle fastened to each of said casters for pivoting each caster intothe extended position and into the retracted position.

1. A traffic director device for use with a source of electrical power,said device comprising: a pedestal tower; a rotatable platform journaledto said tower; a pair of diametrically opposed telescoping armspivotally connected to said rotatable platform; first drive meanscoupled to said rotatable platform for rotation thereof; second drivemeans within each of said telescoping arms for extending and retractingsaid telescoping arms; resilient means mounted to said pedestal towerfor holding said telescoping arms when in a retracted pivotally foldedposition; clamping means for holding said telescoping arms perpendicularto said pedestal tower when in an extended position; reflective meansmounted along both sides of both telescoping arms for signalling thelocation of the telescoping arms; and control means for coordinating therotation of said platform in order to control traffic entering anintersection.
 2. A traffic direction device as defined in claim 1wherein said reflective means includes: a plurality of lamps mountedbehind reflective lens and wherein said control means includes means forsequentially activating said plurality of lamps.
 3. A traffic directiondevice as defined in claim 1 wherein said second drive means includes: areversible electrical motor located within each telescoping arm; meansto connect said electrical motors to the source of electrical power foractuation thereof; a jackscrew connected to each of said electricalmotors for rotation therewith; thread means fastened to the telescopingportion of each arm to mate with said jackscrew to extend and retractsaid telescoping arms; and limit means for limiting the extension ofsaid telescoping arms.
 4. A traffic direction device as defined in claim1 wherein said first drive means includes: an electrical motor connectedto said control means for actuation thereby; a bevel gear havinginternally placed teeth and fastened to said rotatable platform; and adriving gear mating with said bevel gear and fastened to said motor forrotation therewith; and wherein said control means includes means Forcontrolling the actuation of said electrical motor to cause saidrotatable platform to move in 45* increments.
 5. A traffic directiondevice as defined in claim 1 wherein: said pedestal tower includesretractable casters mounted in the pedestal for ease of placing thetraffic directing device into an intersection.
 6. A traffic directordevice as defined in claim 1 wherein: said resilient means includesspring clips mounted to the top of the pedestal of said pedestal tower.7. A traffic director device as defined in claim 1 wherein said clampingmeans includes: cutouts formed in the top of the rotatable platformadjacent to each of said telescoping arms, and an L-shaped holdingfixture fastened to each of said telescoping arms; each of the holdingfixtures cooperating with one of said cutouts for holding saidtelescoping arm in said extended position.
 8. A traffic director deviceas defined in claim 1 further including: a shell for completely coveringsaid pedestal tower, said shell having recesses formed therein adjacentto and covering the length of said telescoping arm when the arms are insaid folded position.
 9. A traffic director device as defined in claim 5wherein said retractable casters include: a plurality of telescopingsections with a caster pivotally mounted in each section, and a handlefastened to each of said casters for pivoting each caster into theextended position and into the retracted position.